


A Dark Winter Evening

by Werewolfqueen



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 03:42:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11935602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werewolfqueen/pseuds/Werewolfqueen
Summary: Christmas time has always been hard for the Sniper and Spy is determined to support him.Past child abuse is implied so please be careful and look after yourselves.





	A Dark Winter Evening

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so I found this older fan fiction saved on my hard drive and after revisiting it I thought that I might upload it to see what people think. Now it does have some themes that I have not written about before which can be upsetting for people, I have tagged so please read the tags before continuing and look after yourself please. That being said if you choose to read on please enjoy and thank you for taking the time to read my fan fiction.

The winter had come in thick and fast in Coldfront, after the first night of snowfall there was at least three feet of freezing snow. Icicles hung from window panes like old man’s fingers, piles of the snow blocking doorways and windows. Normally Coldfront would be well equipped with shovels and grit to deal with this sort of problem, but the train full of weaponry and the like had been delayed further up the line meaning that the earliest delivery would be in the first few weeks of the new year if luck was on their side. This left the teams with food but not much else. This along with the thick blanket of ice had put an end to any battles for the foreseeable future, the teams instead busied themselves with the upcoming holiday.

 

The First Christmas that the Team had shared together, the previous year was spent at 2Fort and because of the continuous hot weather it went almost unnoticed. This year however the majority of the team had agreed that they needed some way of celebrating the holiday to take their minds off of the miserable cold, so a few of them, mainly the Engineer and the Medic took charge of attempting to brighten the place up. 

 

The Medic was in the kitchen, shifting through a rather small and disappointing box of tinsel and Christmas decorations that the Engineer for some unknown reason had brought with him. The Scout was on a step ladder pinning up a long paper chain made of ancient discoloured paper, 

“This fucking sucks, man” he grumbled for the tenth time that afternoon. “This is gonna be the worst Christmas ever”.

 

The Medic rolled his eyes behind his glasses as he straightened up. “Herr Scout, I am sorry that you are upset with the current circumstances we find ourselves in, but we are trying to make the most of it and you are not helping” he said curtly, finishing with a nod in the Bostons direction. 

 

Scout shrugged and put the last link of paper up on the peeling wall, as he slid off of the ladder and went over to the box on the dining table he mumbled something that could have been interpreted as an apology or at least that was what the Medic was going to take it as.

 

“I am glad that Herr Engineer has managed to make our generator working in the cold, at least we will have heat and light this Christmas” Medic said, changing the subject to something more upbeat.

 

“Hell yeah, those Blus are still in the dark on that one” Scout grinned.

 

“Do I feel my ears burning?” came the cheerful voice of the Engineer as he walked through the doorway carrying an old, large rusty gramophone in his arms.

 

“What the hell is that thing?” Scout asked as he started to sort through the box again, looking for the next decoration that would need to be put up.

 

“It is a music player, you uncultured swine” the Spy cut in as he followed the Engineer in, carrying a couple of records in dusty covers.

 

“I thought it would be nice to have some carols playing” Engineer replied as he cranked the stiff handle until a low crackling voice started to sing ‘White Christmas’. 

 

Engineer stood back from the music, pleased with himself for making it work. Medic hummed in an appreciative way at the welcome sound of music to the dreariness of the room. Three of the men stood silently listening to the music, no doubt remembering other Christmases that had been more organised.

 

“Yo where’s the fat man?” Scout interrupting the thoughts of the men.

 

“He is outside with Herr Demoman and Herr Soldier, they are clearing our courtyard of snow, so that we might be able to go outside soon” Medic said returning his attention to the box of disappointment.

“Yeah well when he comes in, tell him to go and find a proper Christmas tree” Scout declared as he pulled out a small Christmas tree that looked more like a twig with a bit of tinsel on it.   
“This thing is a joke” he muttered, placing it down on the table.

 

“So the courtyard will be cleared soon, huh?” Engineer said, choosing to ignore the Scout’s insult about his old Christmas decorations, “Ol' Stretch will be happy, he can go back in his camper then”. 

 

Medic looked up, a frown on his brow.

 

“Herr Sniper will not be going back to his camper this winter” the Medic said determinedly. The three other men looked at him as if he was mad. The Sniper's van had been blocked off to its owner by the sudden rush of snow and ever since Sniper had been itching to return to it and had cursed himself for being in the base at the time of the snow fall, thus being unable to take care of her.

 

“It is too cold outside for anyone to stay out there for too long, I have been dealing with enough flu bouts this winter and as his Doctor I forbid it” He said sharply, looking at the other men, almost challenging them to disagree with him. Sniper had been a bad temper ever since the start of December, everyone chalked it up to him not being used to the cold weather and no one wanted to push him too far.

 

“Well, we will let you, dear Doctor, be the one to inform him of that” Spy's smug voice filled the air as he lit up a Virginia slim.

 

“What the bloody hell is going on in here?” came a disgruntled shout from the doorway. The men turned to see the lanky Australian himself standing there with a mug of lukewarm coffee in his hand and a frown plastered on his face as he stared at all the tinsel and baubles that littered the place.

 

“It's Christmas, man! What, don't they celebrate it down under?” Scout shouted back putting on a terrible fake Australian accent which earned him a growl from the Sniper.

 

“Oh, come on now Stretch, don't be such a sour puss” Engineer said exasperated, a fight was the last thing that he fancied that evening.

 

“He's probably just tired of waiting for the men to finish shoveling snow out there” Spy said, a wicked glint in his eye as he watched the faces of the men in the room change at his words. He rolled his cigarette around his mouth as he waited for the fireworks to start.

 

“Shoveling snow?” Sniper said quietly as his mind processed this discovery. “They’re clearing the snow?” he looked around the room, his gaze fell on the Medic looking for confirmation. The German gave him his answer with a painful grimace.

 

“Why did no one bloody tell me!?” Sniper yelled, his lips curling into a snarl.

 

“Cause we only just found out” Engineer jumped in before Scout could come up with a wise ass remark. The Texan was still hoping that they might salvage the situation, but that optimism faded a little when the Spy started to snigger behind his hand, making a half-hearted attempt at making his snorts sound like coughs.

 

“What the Hell are you laughing at, Frenchie?” Sniper growled at him, his nostrils flaring with anger as he paced around the room eyeing everyone like an animal in distress.

 

“You live in a tin can” Spy said, dead panned before peeling off into another series of unattractive giggles. Sniper narrowed his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He bloody hated Spies and he wondered whether he would be able to actually gut someone with his bare hands.

 

“Genug!“ Medic shouted sharply, stepping in before he had to get to get his hands dirty. Everyone froze and looked at him. “I have had Enough of this. Herr Scout, Herr Engineer finish the decorating, in silence“ he hissed, looking at the Scout in particular who shut his hanging mouth, “Herr Spy, stop being a bastard, and Herr Sniper, where are you going?“ they all turned to see the back of the Sniper heading towards the door.

 

“To my van“ Sniper growled, not bothering to turn around. All he wanted was to go to his van. Was that so hard to understand?

 

“No you are not!“ Medic yelled, trying to assert authority. “As your Doctor I forbid it!“

 

“Piss off“ Sniper called wearily as he turned the corner.

 

“Get back here, Herr Sniper, I am not done with you! It is too cold out there, you shall catch influenza and I will not treat you!“ Medic's empty threats continued to echo around the room but it was too late. Sniper was half way down the corridor, heading towards the courtyard.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Bloody morons thinking that they own me“ Sniper grumbled to himself. It was safe to say that the Sniper was not a very big Christmas fan. As he stamped through the doors that lead to the courtyard he was met with an icy cold embrace. The freezing wind whipped around him making him shrink into himself and put a hand to his hat to keep it secure. The Sniper took a moment to adjust before squaring his shoulders and began the short walk towards his van.

 

His long legs made the last part of his journey swift despite the icy ground, he was ready to be around his familiar surroundings and finally relax. He had always found it hard to be around a lot of people for too long, these last few days had been a trial for him but now he had just rested his hand on the door handle to his home. He let out a sigh of relief as he began to pull the door.

 

“Sniper!“ a voice suddenly boomed behind him making him flinch. He turned reluctantly to the Heavy on the other side of the courtyard, shovel in hand and wearing a thick burgundy fur coat, staring at him.

 

“You are not meant to go in van!“ Heavy yelled at him, clearly not figuring out that it would be less damaging for their ear drums if he actually walked over to Sniper like a civilized person.

 

“Doc said I could“ the Sniper called back. If it had been anyone else he would have told them to bog off but seeing as Heavy could easily crush him with one hand, Sniper decided he should try and at least be civil.

 

“I do not believe you“ Heavy huffed, “Doctor say last night you are not to go in van, it is too cold“.

 

“Explained to him that I got a heater so he said it was ok“ Sniper said. It wasn't quite a lie, he did have a heater he just felt that it was no one’s business but his own. Heavy looked at him for a moment obviously debating whether to believe the Aussie or not.

 

“Ok, Sniper, Merry Christmas“ Heavy bellowed as he laughed before launching into a Russian song as he continued to shovel the last of the snow.

 

“Merry Christmas, my arse“ Sniper grumbled to himself before disappearing into his van.

 

“Can't they all just leave me alone?“.

 

The van was exactly as he had left it, dark and secluded and most importantly, safe. Sniper had had enough of his team mates, all of them together in such a small base caused a lot of friction between them all. At first it hadn’t been too bad, they had played chess and cards and rubbed along well, but soon fist fights had begun to break out particularly between Scout and Demoman or Solider and Heavy.

 

The day normally ended with one of them going to the infirmary to be patched up. Well, in all honesty what would one expect, a bunch of highly dangerous killers all cramped together with no way to blow off steam. It was really the only source of entertainment now, so much so that Spy had started to place bets with people on who would come out the victor.

 

Sniper was surprised Pyro hadn't burnt the place to the ground out of shear boredom. He had lost count of the times he had to extinguish the kitchen curtains because the fire starter had finished his series of `Champion the Wonder Horse` and didn't have anything else to preoccupy himself with.  
Sniper hated the feeling of being trapped with a load of people against his will, he liked to take his human contact when it suited him and in that sort of environment you could never know when someone might be creeping up on you.

 

Still all of that was behind him now, he was safe in his van. He nudged his heater on with his foot and it spat out warm air with a moan. Sniper sat down heavily on his low bed and listened to the familiar sounds of his home. He rolled onto the bed and curled into himself looking forward to being able to sleep finally. As he breathed in the old comforting smell of his bed linen he felt his back creak as he let himself relax for the first time since the snow had fallen. The entire scent of his camper van was reassuring, it smelt of palm olive soap and cooked meat.

 

And Spicy tobacco. Wait, that wasn't right.

 

The Sniper turned and sat up, his sharp sight scanning the small room. It was empty but there was a strong smell of rich tobacco that filled his nostril. He was definitely not alone.

He let out an irritated sigh.

“Get out here, Spook, I'm not in the mood” he muttered. By the door the air wavered and blue strips materialized and took shape, the Blu Spy stood in the camper looking at Sniper.

 

“What’s the matter? I thought you always enjoyed our games of hide and seek” Spy said, a playful smirk danced on his lips.

 

“I'm not in the mood” Sniper repeated before rolling over and laying with his back to the Spy.

“What are you doing here anyway?” he muttered from over his shoulder.

 

“I heard shouting while I was in your courtyard, you have quite a set of lungs on you, I will have to remember that” Spy smiled, waiting for Sniper to raise to the bait so that they could have one of their playful arguments. However, Sniper just grunted and stayed where he was.  
Spy looked at him as his smile faded, it was rare for Sniper to dismiss his lover so coldly. Something was wrong.

 

Spy went and delicately sat down on the bed next to Sniper’s back. “Mon cher?” Spy whispered, placing a hand on Snipers shoulder. “What is wrong?”

 

The Australian let out a frustrated sigh but sat up avoiding eye contact.

 

“It's all this bloody Christmas crap, it’s everywhere” Sniper mumbled, looking at an old dark stain on the floor. Spy stared for a moment before a smile spread over his face.

 

“So you are like the Scrooge of Christmas?” he said, shrugging his shoulders. It was sad, yes, the Spy had always enjoyed Christmas and it was a shame that the man he loved didn't. However, he felt that there was no such need for this show of passion that Sniper was intent on giving.

 

“No” Sniper said sharply, disturbing his thoughts, “I loved Christmas, always had”.

 

“Then why not now?” Spy asked, his gaze burning into Sniper.

 

“It's, it's not important” the Australian hissed hoarsely, his cheeks burned and his stomach churned. He made to turn back over but was stopped by Spy's firm hand on his shoulder.

 

“Mon cher,” the Spy began “You have told me things that you have not told anyone else. your name, that you fear bats after watching Dracula, that your father was never at home, that you were an outcast at school, that you killed your first man at seventeen” he counted each secret on his fingers.  
“You even told me about your uncle Richard” he whispered lowly and Sniper flinched slightly. Ah, so that was still raw and very well may be the underlying cause of this problem, the Frenchman noted before proceeding.

 

Spy placed his hand under Sniper's chin and gently lifted his head up.  
“Look at me” he whispered. Sniper lifted his gaze so that he met the Spy's brilliant blue eyes, “you can tell me anything”.

 

The Sniper sighed heavily.

“When I was twelve” he started before swallowing hard, “Dad was home from the navy, once in a blue moon sort of thing ya know. Anyway it was Christmas and it was great you know and mum was just about to put the bird on the table and there was Christmas carols being played on the radio. There was tinsel everywhere and it was all bright and happy and it was great” the Sniper smiled fondly at the memory but his eyes were shining.

 

“But then there was a knock at the door and I opened it, and it was my uncle Richard. He waited until I went to feed the dogs and after, I vomited over the dinner, ruined Christmas. My dad wasn't home for another Christmas, so that was the last Christmas I came even close to enjoying” Sniper swallowed again and the Spy put his arm around him protectively. Spy could easily guess what had happened, he made a pact with himself that if ever he met Sniper's uncle he would kill him in the slowest and most painful way he knew.

 

“I wasn't strong when I was younger” the Sniper continued, his voice sounded thick and he kept his eyes glued to the opposite wall of the van. “so I couldn't do anything”. Sniper's voice broke and he drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head in his arms to hide his face from Spy.

 

Spy sat close to the Bushman, his arm still wound tightly around his lover’s shoulders as the Sniper’s frame shook. He wished that the Australian wasn't such a proud man and felt like he needed to hide his emotions from him.

 

The pair stayed like that on the bed, with the Spy nuzzling the Sniper’s head and rubbing his back, trying to offer some comfort and ease the nightmarish memories. After about ten minutes the Sniper raised his head, his eyes red. “But I'd like to see him try anything now” he said thickly as he coughed to clear his throat.

 

Spy paused for a moment debating on how to proceed. It clearly was not healthy to go around at Christmas with such dark thoughts, he thought.  
“Perhaps” the Frenchman said slowly “you need to be shown a proper Christmas again, one without the fear”. Sniper looked at him with weary eyes.

 

“Not sure about that, mate” he said quietly, a weak smile on his face “but thanks for trying to help”.  
Spy looked at his bushman that had intrigued and captivated him since the first few weeks of the war. He was going to do more than try to help.

 

“It will be fun though” Spy persisted. He hated being too whiny and pushy but he was damned if he was going to spend the first Christmas with Sniper as lovers with him being haunted by a monster from long ago. He wasn't stupid, he knew that there were years of built up emotion in the Sniper and that it was going to be a very long and hard road to help him, but Christmas seemed like as good as place as any to start that journey.

 

“We can meet on Christmas Eve and spend the whole of Christmas day together just you and me. We do not have to see anyone, we can just be us in the safety of your van” Spy said watching the Australians face carefully.

 

Sniper stayed still for a moment then a small curl of a smile started to appear on his face.

 

“I suppose I could get a buzzard for dinner” he murmured and Spy felt his stomach do a flip. A buzzard for Christmas dinner, that was somewhat unusual. Spy tried to keep his face fixed in a positive smile but the Sniper must have seen the knit in his brow because he started to chuckle.

 

“Don't panic, Spook, I was joking. No, I can easily catch a duck or something on that pound not far from here, there's loads of Mallards that didn't fly south there” The Sharpshooter laughed, the Spy joined in the laughter. Sniper making a joke that was a good sign, and he offered to cook. Even better.

 

Their eyes met and the two smiled at one another. The Spy lent in to the Sniper and gave him a gentle kiss on his dry lips. “Thanks, mate” the Sniper said thickly, ducking his head a little as the Spy smiled at him, his eyes taking in this wild man that made his heartbeat quicken.

 

“What about presents?” the Sniper said suddenly. Spy thought for a second or two before sliding his arm around Sniper's neck bringing the bushman closer to him.

 

“Well I always have need of a new pair of Italian leather gloves” Spy said in his ear, his hot breath tickling the Aussie’s ear.

 

“You should be so lucky” Sniper said playfully before looking back at the wall, obviously thinking about it all. “I'm a little nervous” he mouthed quietly. 

 

Spy leant towards him.  
"I promise it will be a Christmas to remember" the Frenchman whispered into the Marksman's ear, earning himself a small smile from the taller man.

 

“I shall see you in a few days for Christmas Eve” Spy said before hopping off of the bed and adjusting his suit.

 

“Your leaving now? You just got here, the Heavy and Soldier are out there” Sniper said.

 

“I'm not leaving you for long, mon cher” Spy replied before heading towards the door. "Besides I have a few plans to make if I am to survive a few nights in this sardine can you call a home".

 

“You really are a bastard, you know that right?” Sniper muttered while he grinned a sharp tooth smile at the Blu Spy, 

 

“I'm the Bastard you love” Spy reminded him “and this Bastard loves you”.

 

“Oh bloody hell get out of here you soppy git” Sniper laughed leaning back down onto his bed.

 

Spy grinned silently as he slipped out the door without so much as a creak of the door. The Sniper smiled to himself, in all honesty he was feeling a little better. Hell, maybe if he was being honest with himself maybe he was looking forward to this Christmas, just a little.

 

He sat up so that he could peel off his cloths to sleep more comfortably, his sight fell on a large bottle of expensive scotch with a purple ribbon wrapped around the neck of it, a small card attached to it. He gingerly picked the bottle up and looked into the card.

 

`Dear Sniper,

I shall give you your other present on Christmas day,  
I hope in the meantime this will give you sweet dreams.

Highest regards

Spy`

 

The Sniper looked it over several times,   
“Posh Spook” he muttered fondly as he set the bottle aside to be drunk at a later date. He leaned back again feeling more at ease with himself than he had done in years. He was moving on and he was happy. He let out a contented sigh. Christmas with the Spy in his Camper van. The more he thought of it the more he thought that he could probably handle that. He smiled. Hell, maybe he would have sweet dreams that night.

 

“Ah shit” he suddenly groaned, “Where the hell am I going to find Italian leather gloves out here?” 

 

He might have to write an I.O.U to the Spy in a Christmas card instead.


End file.
